Decorticator



July 4, 1939. H, T. McGlLL 2,164,338

DECORTICATOR Filed July 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l :lf-i *2 gmc/nm Hamer 7".' M5517] ttmms July 4, 1939. H, T MG|| 2,164,338

DECORTICATOR Filed July 27, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 Il lllll v e eeeeeee Hamer Z' M6517] www.

Patented `uly 4, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to cereal decorticators, by means of which a relatively small lot of cereals may be treated to remove the husks, etc., from the grains.

It is well-known that in the case of cereals, such as rice, barley, and the like, the price is dependent on the condition and appearance of the grains after the outer husk has been removed, and that these qualities cannot be determined while the husks or outer coverings remain on the grains.

It is impractical to treat a small amount of cereal grains in a decorticator of a size suitable for commercial use, and this invention provides means whereby the condition and quality of a small lot 1 may be quickly and accurately determined.

A use of the machine is the decortication of sample lots to determine the qualities of large lots, though it may be used whereve-r it is desired to treat a relatively small lot of material.

In a machine of this type it is desirable that every grain of the lot be treated in the same way as every other grain, and therefore it is preferable to have a machine which receives an entire lot at one time, rather than one in which the grains are constantly fed to and discharged from the machine as in continuous production milling plants.

The effectiveness of the d-ecorticating or scouring operation depends upon three factors: rapid agitation, effective circulation of the material undergoing treatment, and application of pressure to provide sufficient friction between grains to scour off the outer covering. This invention is chiefly concerned with the maintenance of proper pressure. As the scouring progresses and the outer covering of each grain is worn away, the grains decrease in size and means must be provided to maintain the pressure. There is a reduction of approximately iifty percent in the volume of a rice or barley lot from the rough state to the nished white or pearled state. In continuous production machines pressure is kept up by the regulated feeding of untreated grains to the machine, but in a machine for completely treating one relatively small lot at a time this is not practical.

One object of this invention is to provide a decortioating machine in which the required pressure is initially gained and. held throughout the 50 entire decorticating process.

Another object is to provide a decorticating machine in which the grain is eiectively agitated and circulated.

Still another object is to provide a simple and relatively inexpensive decorticating machine.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation partially in section of the decorticating machine.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Figure l.V

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Figure 3 is a perspective view of the lower section of the decorticating chamber housing.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section of the decortieating chamber taken on the line 4-4 of Figur-e 1.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the upper section of the decorticating chamber housing.

Figures 6, 7 and 8 are sectional views of modiiied forms of decorticating chamber housings.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the machine is mounted on a base 9 having at if) one end an upstanding vertical plate II'I. The vertical plate ID serves as one end of a housing enclosing' the decorticating chamber II, the other end of which is formed by an end plate I2, supported by tie bolts I3 surrounded by spacers I4 t5 and mounted in the plate IU.

In order to provide means for maintaining a substantially even pressure upon the grains as the outer coverings are Worn away, the chamber I I is enclosed by a horizontal substantially cylindrical housing which may be progressively collapsed durng the decorticating process', thus reducing the size of the chamber as the volume of material in it is reduced.

The horizontal wall of the housing is composed 2 of two sections. The lower section I5 is substantially semi-cylindrical and is provided with a plurality of chaff or dust escape ports I6. It is mounted between the end plates I0 and I2 by means of rods I'l having recesses I8 in which the edges of the section I5 engage, and extending ends forming studs I9 that engage in sockets ZII in the end plates. The rods I'I form rounded projections extending into the chamber II ior a purpose to be later described. The upper secn.5 tion 2I is substantially semi-cylindrical with downwardly extending side walls 22 that are slidably engaged between the spacers I4 and the sides of the lower section I5. The sid-e walls 22 being slidably engaged with the rest of the assembly, the upper section 2I may be moved vertically to adjust the size of the chamber I I.

The upper section 2| is preferably made of transparent material, for example, Celluloid, in order to allow th-e material in the chamber I I to i5 be seen. Visibility of the material within the machine permits stopping the treatment at any desired point. This however, is not necessary, and it may be made of metal, fibre, or other suitable rnaterial, as may the lower section I5. .-O

Within the decorticating chamber I I is a cylindrical agitator 23 having outstanding ribs 24. This agitator is mounted upon the shaft 25 of a motor 26 mounted upon th-e base plate 9, the shaft extending through a bearing in the plate I0. :5.3

In operating the machine, the chamber II is opened by removing one of the side walls 22 from between the spacer I 4 and the edge of the section I5, and the upper section is flexed back to allow. a lot of grains to beput into the chamber. tu

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The top section is then restored to its closed position, and the agitator is started, causing the grains to move in the direction of rotation of the agitator, and to rub against each other, and wearing away the outer husks. The inwardly projecting rods l'l act as stops to prevent the material in the chamber Il from attaining the peripheral speed of the agitator, and also aid in the rubbing between grains as they pass them. The husks, dust and so forth escape through the ports iB. As the decorticating process advances, the pressure between the grains is kept up by causing th-e top wall of section 2| to approach the bottom wall of section I5, This may be done by placing a weight 27 (Figure 5) upon the top section, or it may be done by the operator pressing the top section downwardly by hand. In case the machine is being used for testing samples, the test may be accurately controlled by the selection oi the weight used to control the pressure and by timing the length of the operation.

In the modied form shown in Figure 6, the lower section 28 has extended side walls 29 between which an upper section 3@ is slidably engaged. The section 353 may be urged downwardly by a weight 3i.

In the form shown in Figure 7 the horizontal casing 32 is made of a single sheet with overlap-- ping edges, the inner of which is secured as at 33 to the end walls l0 and I2, while the outer is extended as at 3d, and connected to a lever 35 fulcrumed at 35 to the end plate Iii. In this form the housing is collapsed by moving the power arm of the lever in a counter-clockwise direction.

In the modification shown in Figure 8, the housing 31 is formed oi a single sheet having spirally overlapping edge portions. This form of housing may be collapsed by a pair of oppositely disposed forks 3B bearing against the housing and controlled by levers Sil and di), conn-ected by a link lil and fulcrumed to the end plate I0 at 42 and "i3 respectively, so that motion of the power arm oi the lever dii in a clockwise direction causes the forks 38 to approach each other and collapse the chamber housing.

Some grains require the use of abrasive and this may be furnished in a variety of ways. Emery or other iin-ely divided abrasive may be intermixed with the grain to be treated. The agitator 23, or either or both of the sections of the housing may be constructed of material having an -abrasive effect, or any one or all of them may be coated with an abrasive substance. Similarly they may be covered with cloth, wool, leather or other material as polishing or scouring means.

From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation and many advantages of the herein described invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art without further description, and it will be understood that various changes in the size, shape, proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

What I claim is:

l. In a decorticator, the combination with an agitator, or a collapsible housing surrounding the agitator and including a substantially cylindrical wall having relatively slidable, spirally overlapped edge portions, and means for progressively collapsing the housing by causing relativ-e sliding between the edge portions.

'2. In a device for removing the outer layers from particles of granular material, the combination of a rotary smooth surfaced agitator having low, smooth projections thereon, and a housing completely enclosing the agitator, the said housing being spaced from the agitator a distance much greater than the height of the projections on the agitator and completely enclosing a circulating chamber for the reception of a batch of the material to be treated, and said housing being collapsible to an extent sufficient to compensate for the material removed from the particles and to permit the maintenance of a substantially constant pressure in the batch.

3. A device for removing the outer layers of granular material by a scouring action between the grains of such material, that comprises a pair of spaced end walls, an elongated rotary agitator extending between the said walls, and a collapsible housing comprising side walls substantially parallel to and surrounding the agitator, and spaced from the agitator a distance suiicient to form a closed circulating chamber for receiving a batch of the material to be treated, certain of the walls being movable inward to reduce the size of the chamber to an extent sufficient to compensate for the material worn away during the scouring, the ends of the side walls slidably engaging the inner sides `of the respective end walls.

4. In a device for removing the outer layers from granular particles by a scouring action between the particles, the said device including a rotary agitator vfor circulating the particles, a

housing completely surrounding the agitator and having end walls and a pair of semi-cylindrical side walls spaced from the agitator to form a completely closed circulating vchamber for a batch of the material to be treated, one of the said side walls having extending skirt portions upon its edges, said skirt portions slidably engaging the edges of the other side wall to permit the housing to be collapsed to an extent sufficient to compensate for the material worn away from the particles by the scouring action being 4mov-able inwardly toward the agitator, whereby pressure between the particles maybe increased as their size is decreased by the scouring action.

5. In a device for removing the outer layers from granular particles and including a ribbed cylindrical agitator, and spaced supporting walls at opposite ends oi the agitator, a collapsible housing assembly surrounding the agitator comprising a pair of spaced parallel rods extending between the supporting walls on opposite sides of the agitator, a substantially semi-cylindrical wall extending between .the supporting walls having its opposite edges secured to the outer sides oi the respective rods, and a second semicylindrical wall having elongated sides slidably engaging the outer surfaces of the first semicylindrical wall adjacent the edges of the said wall.

6. In a device for removing the outer layers from granular particles .and including a ribbed cylindrical agitator and spaced Asupporting walls at opposite ends of the agitator, a collapsible housing assembly surrounding the agitator comprising a pair of spaced, parallel rods extending between the supporting walls on each side of the agitator, a semi-cylindrical wall supported upon the cuter sides of the inner rods, and a U-shaped wall having leg portions slidably engaged between the outer sides of the semi-cylindrical walland the inner sides of the outer rods.

HOMER T. MCGIIL. 

